Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Article Tools

A local drug- and weapon-trafficking organization has been dismantled, according to the Santa Barbara Police Department, after a year-long investigation came to a head over the weekend.

While there is little to no information being released about who the conspirators were, how many people were involved, or the specific activities they were participating in, authorities did say that nine arrest warrants and seven search warrants were served in the city. Nearly 100 law enforcement agents were involved.

The bust came as a result of collaboration among the federal ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms), ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and SBRNET (Santa Babrara Regional Narcotic Enforcement Team) which consists of members from the Santa Barbara County Probation Department, Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office, Santa Barbara Police Department, Guadalupe Police Department, and the District Attorney’s Office, and is led by the Department of Justice, Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement.

The Santa Barbara Police Department couldn’t reveal too many details, due to the on-going nature of the investigation, spokesman Lorenzo Duarte said. A call to Ken Bambrick, the task force commander of SBRNET was not returned.

Resident’s comments on edhat.com indicated that activity was centered on a house near the intersection of Calle Rosales and San Roque Road at 4:30 a.m. Friday. Commentators also suggested Earl Warren Showgrounds was used as a staging area for law enforcement. These details could not be verified as of press time.

Be succinct, constructive, and relevant to the story. Leaving a comment means you agree to our Discussion Guidelines. We like civilized discourse. We don't like spam, lying, profanity, harassment or personal attacks.